BEST FOOT FORWARD: Snappy dresser Daniel relaxes in his club jumper (Image: WireImage)

But Liverpool’s Daniel Sturridge is also a man on a mission. The sharp-dressing forward wants to change how we perceive flashy footballers, inject some fashion into the fans and to get back to his best this season. Daniel’s known for his snappy dress sense, love of music and no-nonsense chat.

Back in training after being plagued with injury, the fans eyes are on his comeback this season, especially this weekend’s clash with high-flying Manchester City. But football chat is strictly off the agenda for our interview.

We’re meeting at Liverpool’s swanky Titanic Hotel to talk about the club’s new Signature Collection of menswear. It’s slick, stylish and high quality; a long way from the itchy bobble hats and scarves sold in club shops down the years.

I have a bonus hour and a half to examine the new range as Daniel is delayed for our interview, having been held back at Liverpool’s training ground, Melwood, to spend extra time in the gym.

When I tell him he’s the obvious choice to launch the club’s fashion range, he nods: “I like to think I’m the most fashionable at the club. I’ll take that title. “In fashion you can express your personality and who you want to be.”

There’s a lot the 26-year-old still wants to be. Not content with playing for his country and for Liverpool, he also wants to branch out into TV and business.

STAR GIRL: Jennifer with Daniel Sturridge (Image: TONY SPENCER)

“I want to write a TV show and I’m in the process of doing that at the moment,” he reveals. “If I can find the right writers to help me to do that I will get it off the ground. “It will be a bit of comedy, bit of drama, all of those things.

I want that to work out. “And the restaurant game is another I’d like to get into.” Fashion, surely, is the next step? “I’d love to design my own range but it’s a difficult business to delve into.

As Kanye West said, you can lose a lot of money.” There’s one thing he doesn’t want to be – the stereotypical spoilt footballer. “It makes me angry when people say footballers are flashy and pampered,” he explains.

“We’re normal people at the end of the day – the same as everyone else. “We wake up in the morning, we brush our teeth and do the exact same things as every- one else.

We’ve worked a long time to get where we are. I didn’t ask for that or any of the other stuff. I think I succeed in living a normal, grounded life.” It’s that stereotype Daniel thinks should be dispelled early on in every player’s career to stop them buying into the craziness.

“You need to tell them that it’s important to buy a house and invest your money before you think about going out buying sports cars and popping champagne bottles in nightclubs,” he says.

“In life, you need to choose the right path and make a grounding for your long-term future – which is to invest in a home. “Buying the expensive cars, going to clubs and splashing the cash is not going to last.

“What will last is you having a home and focusing on perfecting your craft so all those things will always be there for you.”

Birmingham-born Daniel grew up in the public eye after he began playing at the age of seven in the youth academy at Aston Villa before moving to Manchester City aged 13. “Growing up in the spotlight was weird.

I just wanted to play football and make a career for myself. I never wanted to be famous. I wouldn’t say it’s been hard, though. I stay grounded. I take things in my stride.

“I keep my family close around me and the friends I have around me are the same I’ve had since I was young. “I will never let the fame get the better of me. It’s easy to get your head filled with all the crazy stuff. It would be easy to get all gassed up about being a footballer and everything that comes with it. “I don’t really get gassed up about those things – the money, popping bottles in clubs and flash cars.

“And I don’t want people around me who will make me into that person or involve me in the bad things.” Instead Daniel, who previously dated supermodel Jourdan Dunn but is currently single, spends his time seeing family, watching movies – and doing a lot of ironing, apparently. “I like to iron,” he says. “I always iron with some music playing, especially if I’m going out. I don’t like to have people do things for me. I would never have a personal shopper or a stylist.

“I do my own shopping. I go out to the shopping centre and if that means I have to take pictures with people I don’t mind. I like to spend my own money.” He has some fashion regrets, though. “I regret sometimes spending a lot of money on something. Especially if I don’t wear it enough. “Yeah, you might say I can afford it, but that’s silly, it’s not about that. “It’s about having things that you wear.

“For example, I bought a Burberry Aviator jacket. “I think there were only two or three made in England and it was really cool. “I’ve only worn it once. And I feel bad. Why did I buy that? “In our training room the players have a lot of banter. Some players are still fine in a tracksuit. “We have a joke if someone has dressed up. We say: ‘Ooh, you’ve had a go today’. “But there’s no-one in the LFC team who dresses really bad.

GOAL-DEN TOUCH: Sturridge soaks up the adulation after scoring for England and (right) train... (Image: GETTY)

“Everyone has their own style.” Daniel has an idea of who he’d like to dress in the stylish new Liverpool range, though. “Idris Elba is my favourite guy right now. I like his style and I really hope he gets to be the new James Bond.

“I don’t even care that he doesn’t support Liverpool, but I wish he did. Or Samuel L Jackson. He’s a smart guy.

He’d look great. “We’re the first club to go down the more fashionable route. I hope the fans like it.”

?The limited edition LFC Signature Collection of men’s luxury goods includes Merino wool knitwear and quality leather accessories inspired by the best in British luxury fashion. The collection is available for online preorder now at liverpoolfc.com/store for delivery on November 30, and will be available exclusively in Liverpool LFC retail stores (An- fi eld, Liverpool One & Williamson Square) from November 30.